1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relates generally to communication methods and devices and in particular to electronic communication methods and devices. Still more particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to electronic communication devices and methods of using those devices to promote social interaction and networking.
2. Description of the Related Art
As social beings, people often look for ways to interact with each other, and such social interactions were traditionally conducted in person or over the telephone. As people become more and more busy with their daily routine of work and family and personal life, many people have sought out other means to interact socially. With the onset of the Internet and the large number of people who spend time on this medium of information sharing and communication, a large number of people have been drawn to the online social sites to engage in their social networking. This social networking phenomenon is becoming more and more mainstream and has in many instances replaced the person to person interaction that occurs in the real world with this made up persona interacting on the virtual social networking world.
With the proliferation of the Internet, many people now become members of these social networking sites and then search for new “friendships” within an online setting. Online social networking, however, has no direct, “real life” personal interaction other than the images and sounds posted on a website or webpage with information about a person or an occasional online chat session between two persons. Social networking sites oftentimes provide only a superficial feel for the other person with whom one is interacting. These individuals exchange a large amount of personal information based on an online profile, without having met the other person and determine if that other person is someone they even want to provide such detailed personal information to. These individuals are then left to later arrange to meet at a public place to see whether the online banter or exchange is with someone they are truly interested in.
Thus, despite the growth of these online social networking services, the majority of people still desire/prefer to interact/network in person with others, particularly with others of interest to them. Social establishments, such as clubs, bars, movie theatres, malls, etc., are frequently by a large segment of these individuals, most of whom are “looking” to meet other people of similar interest, whether for development of plutonic, social or business contacts, or for a potential romantic connection. These social establishments provide an opportunity to meet other people in a real-life social (or business) setting.
Unlike with the online networking sites, people who frequent these public (or private) establishments are not able to pre-screen those people with whom they come into contact with or who may approach them to chat, dance, or connect in some way. Thus, it is not uncommon for individuals in these establishments to have unwanted interactions and/or be approached by individuals who are not of interest to them. Additionally, in some instances, some of these individuals in these social establishments are not really interested in interacting with new people, as in the cases where a group of women go for a “girls night out” to interact solely among themselves or a married person goes out just to enjoy the atmosphere within the social establishment.
Many people view these social establishments as providing an opportunity to meet/hook-up/network with another person(s). However, because the person initiating the interaction (the “initiator”) typically has little knowledge of the person being approached (the “target”), situations frequently arises, where the initiator is met with personality checks, outright rejection, or being ignored or rebuffed by the target (where the initiator does not fit within the target's idea of the type of initiator that the target is desirous of (or interested in) interacting with. Within these social establishments, some individuals may blunder along looking for someone that would be receptive to their approach, while others patiently wait hoping that someone of interest actually approaches them. Incorrect assumptions, rejections, and the like have always been a part of this traditional social networking.
Even in a business networking environment, it is not oncoming for individuals to invest significant amounts of networking capital interacting with the wrong people at a business function (such as a conference or business meeting) before the person realizes that they have potentially “spent” significant time developing contacts that offer little benefit to them. These persons are occasionally made aware at some later time (after the event/function has ended) that there were other persons at the same event/function who would have been an important business contact to meet or with whom their networking capital would have been better spent.